06-15-2015 Planning Commission Packet

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NIINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMII�IISSION MEETII�TG J Monday,Mny 18,zais �� 6:3Q o'clock p.m. ` O � Lot 6 contains an existin home and will be accessed via the rivate road. Lot 7 wi �� 8 p ll also access off of � the driveway in 4udot F. Stickney reiterated that every ef�'ort is being made to preserve as many trees as possible,and in the event a tree neads to be removed, it will be replaced at a 2:1 ratio. Stickney indicated Franlc Svoboda will address the Conservation Design. Frank Svoboda, Svoboda Ecological Resources,stated he has been doing wetland and wildlife work for Mn/Dot and private entities for a significant number of years. Svoboda indicated he performed the wetland delineation on this particular property. Svoboda noted there were a couple of areas that turned out to be non-wetland,a pond that was dug by Mr. Dayton,and some other wetlands that had been anhenced by excavation at some point in the pas�. Svoboda pointed out two sreas of the prairie. Svoboda stated historically those areas had been agricuhural land,and in the mid-1980s it wss enrolled in conservation preserve for ten years. After the conservation preserve program expired,it was in conventional agriculturc for a few years,and thcn in 2006,those fields were planted by Prairie Restorations to become a native prairie community. Svoboda notec�there was a question earlier by one of ti�e Planning Commissions about what constitutes a Big Woods. Svoboda indicated he had one of his staffpeople out to examine the woods. In addition, Mark Gronberg's finn performed a comprehensive tree stuvey and documented the diamater the significant trees as well as the species. The City's Natural Resources Inventory was alsa reviewed which was completed by Bonestroo back in 2006. Svoboda stated these woods were classified as a maplo- basswood community of good condition. Svoboda indicated he also looked at ti�e Field Guide to Native Plant Communities in;1�innesota,which is utilized by the MN Daparhuent of Natural Resources. According to that guide,ti�,is patticular area is in the eastern broadleaf forest and has baen c�assified as a sugar maple foresk Svoboda stated in order to gain some understanding oftlus forest,he looked at a 1937 aerial photo, becaase when he looked at the distribution of the size of the trces and the inventory that was completed by Mark Gronberg,the trees rsnged in size from 8 to 24 inches. Svoboda stated on some of the lots that will have some impact to the trees,those trees were 8 to 18 inches in diameter,which indicates that they are fairly young treas. Some of the other trees were 22 to 24 inches in diameter,indicating they wete older trees. Svoboda stated in looking at the 1937 aeriaJ,photograph,he observed in the vicinsty of the lot to the left of the cul-de-sac a gap in tfie canopy that showed there was some type of timber naanagement or timber removal at some point in time,which was fairly common in wooded areas. Svoboda stated another thing he noticed in reviewing the propeity is that there was not much history of g�razing,particularly if the area has been left abandoned. Svoboda noted there is some fencing around the property but nothing to indicate that t�ez�e was any heavy grazing that took place. Svoboda noted the 8 to 24-inch trees seem to be kind of randomly distribubed thmughout thc wooded area. The Field Guide to Native Plant Communities has a description for three different age categories for a maplo-basswood forest. Young farests are 0 to 35 years of age,transition forests are 35 to 75 years of age, and mature forests,which are 75 years of age snd older. Svoboda statsd this forest appears to fall into all three age categories,which is verification of the fact that there had been some selactive tree removal in past yeazs. Page 13 of 37